Allen Alley won't seek a second term as Oregon Republican chairman

Oregon Republican Chairman Allen Alley, who presided over a tough campaign year for the GOP in the state, has told party officials that he won't seek a second term.

Allen, a high-tech entrepreneur who ran unsuccessfully for governor and treasurer, revealed his plans in a conference call with county chairs on Thursday night. He reportedly said he needed to attend to business concerns he had largely set aside during his two years as party chairman.

UPDATE: Alley said he thought he could have been reelected but that he wants to focus on his business activities for a while. He is a board member of Zapproved, a Hillsboro-based company, and said he wants to do some investing in start-ups.

"I'm not going to go away," said Alley, explaining that he would continue to help Republican candidates and aid the party when he can. But he described the chairmanship as a full-time volunteer post that is "all-encompassing."

He could not be immediately reached Friday for comment but his decision to leave was confirmed by several Republican Party officials. John Swanson, who ran for the Clackamas County commission this year, said he was seriously looking at seeking the chairmanship.

Alley in 1997 co-founded Pixelworks, which produces chips and software for the video display industry, and ran the company for 10 years before going to work for then-Gov. Ted Kulongoski. He was the Republican nominee for treasurer in 2008 and ran for governor two years later, losing in the GOP primary to Chris Dudley.

Solomon Yue, a Salem businessman and member of the Republican National Committee, praised Alley for helping bring the party in the black, through fundraising and reducing staff expenses.

However, Alley was unable to make any progress toward reversing the Democratic Party's dominance in Oregon. And, in fact, this year the Republican lost a significant amount of influence when the Democrats regained full control of the state House.

"We definitely have to rebuild," said Yue.

Alley ran into trouble with many grass-roots activists shortly before the election when a group he was associated with -- the Oregon Transformation Project -- sent out a mailer that endorsed some Democrats. Alley said he didn't know anything about the mailing and resigned from the group.

In June, Alley angered supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul -- as well as some other GOP activists -- when he shut down delegate-selection meetings. That thwarted an effort by Paul supporters to seize control of Oregon's delegation to the national convention in Tampa.

Swanson, who is currently an aide to Sen. Chuck Thomsen, R-Hood River, said he has begun making phone calls about a bid for the chairmanship. A former official with the College Republicans, Swanson said he thinks he can work well with the different factions of the party.

"I do recognize in our party right now, there is some turmoil," he said. Other GOP officials said they expected several potential candidates to look at running.

Republican state central committee members will meet on Saturday, Feb. 2 in Salem to pick a new chairperson.